ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · chest · lie · degree · cell · bear · snap · mark

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — a price
  8. chest — a box
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — in control
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com